Recap: Loyola-Chicago vs. Northern Ill

Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Travon Baker led the way with 14 points, as the Northern Illinois Huskies outlasted the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers, 55-49, in an intrastate showdown at Gentile Arena.

Darrell Bowie tallied 13 points and nine rebounds for NIU (4-5), which has won two of three. Aaron Armstead and Dontel Highsmith chipped in with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

For Loyola (5-6), Christian Thomas paced all scorers with 16 points on 5-of-8 from the field and 6-of-6 from the foul line. Jeff White added 14 points, while Milton Doyle scored 10.

The first half of action was dominated by Loyola, which outshot NIU from the field, 50 percent to 23.1 percent, as it carried a 28-14 lead into intermission.

The tables were turned after halftime, with the Huskies improving to 52.2 percent from the floor and the Ramblers regressing to 23.1 percent. NIU trailed by one with under two minutes remaining before Bowie converted a three-point play to give it the lead for good. The visitors shot 6-of-6 from the free-throw line over the final 24 seconds to help seal the deal.

Although NIU committed a game-high 18 turnovers, it helped its cause with a 39-28 advantage in the rebounding battle.